Cardinals hot stove update: 11/16/10

Now and then, as I catch up on my morning reading, I will share information regarding St. Louis Cardinals subjects currently in the news.

Uggla interest

The Post-Dispatch has a bit more optimistic take than the earlier Matthew Leach blog post (“a long shot”) on the Cardinals’ potential interest in Marlins star Dan Uggla. Both include the same concern over the acquisition cost of the second baseman in terms of players required. The P-D story does acknowledge the Cardinals believe they could cover Uggla’s 2011 salary.

An MLB.com Monday report said the Marlins are asking for a pitcher and catcher in return for Uggla with the Nationals, Blue Jays, Braves and Tigers among the interested.

Other infield options

Over the weekend, Buster Olney of ESPN suggested the Cardinals would vigorously pursue infielder Juan Uribe, late of the San Francisco Giants. In the same P-D article that discusses Uggla, it is mentioned that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak will meet with Uribe’s agent this week in Orlando.

The club also has continued interest in Miguel Tejada, says the article, while painting a picture that the Cards may not pursue Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The cost of the latter will include both his contract and posting fee paid to his Japanese club.

One of the posters on The Cardinal Nation message board, TheEckFactor, ran into Albert on Monday in Springfield, IL, where the first baseman is apparently involved in the opening of a sports facility. He shared a photo.

Westbrook odds improving

In a bit of a surprise, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that “Cardinals growing more optimistic on signing (Jake) Westbrook. A week ago, team thought odds were only 50-50.”

In other news, the early winter price of pitching remains high. The Dodgers re-signed free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $12 million contract that includes an additional $500,000 in incentives and full no-trade protection.

Oquendo interview

Despite dealing with the death of his father over the weekend, new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson spent two hours in Orlando on Monday interviewing Jose Oquendo for the open managerial role in New York.

The Post-Dispatch report notes that Tony La Russa spent time with Oquendo, helping him prepare for the interview.

One report had Oquendo being the last of ten first-round interviews, but SI’s Jon Heyman tweeted there may be more candidates added to the mix. The original schedule was said to lead to a decision by the early December Winter Meetings.